By DAN KARELL
Even with all of the story lines happening in English soccer this week, the focus shifts to Merseyside for the latest installment of the Liverpool derby.
Last November, the two clubs played to an incredible 3-3 draw at Goodison Park and this time around there could be plenty of fireworks as well. Liverpool’s Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge are both fit and in terrific form while Everton welcome back Ross Barkley and Steven Pienaar to the starting lineup. With only one point separating the clubs, both teams will be gunning for all three points to push into an UEFA Champions League place.
At Old Trafford, Juan Mata will make his first start in a Manchester United shirt while Robin Van Persie returns to the starting lineup and Wayne Rooney appears on the bench. David Moyes will be hoping that Mata can quickly prove his worth as Man United can’t afford to slip up at home against Cardiff City.
Elsewhere, Arsenal visit Southampton as the London side hope to stay on top of the Premier League for another week and Real Madrid host Espanyol in Copa Del Rey action. In the evening, the 2014 Copa Libertadores officially begins with the first stage of games, featuring Mexican club Morelia vs. Colombian side Santa Fe.
If you will be watching today’s action, please feel free to share your thoughts, opinions and some play-by-play in the comments section below.
Enjoy the action. (Today’s schedule is after the jump):
2:45pm – Manchester United vs. Cardiff City – Premier League Extra Time/NBC Sports Live Extra
2:45pm – Southampton vs. Arsenal –Â Premier League Extra Time/NBC Sports Live Extra
2:45pm – Swansea City vs. Fulham –Â Premier League Extra Time/NBC Sports Live Extra
2:45pm – Norwich City vs. Newcastle United –Â Premier League Extra Time/NBC Sports Live Extra
3pm – Liverpool vs. Everton – NBC Sports Network
3pm – Crystal Palace vs. Hull –Â Premier League Extra Time/NBC Sports Live Extra
3pm – Real Madrid vs. Espanyol – beIN Sport USA
6pm – Oriente Petrolero vs. Nacional – Fox Deportes
8:15pm – Morelia vs. Santa Fe – Fox Deportes
9pm – Mexico vs. South Korea – ESPN News/Univision Deportes
Ream either had an injury and exited in 5th minute or scored the equalizer in the 89th. Match cast shows both but that is not possible!
crazy game
Red card for Flamini, 10 minutes down a man for Arsenal.
This game may be the moment all the pundits and experts were waiting for, when Arsenal’s predicted swoon began and their inevitable slide to a 3rd or 4th place finish.
Not a good decision to go back to Fulham. Think the negatives outweigh any potential benefit.
What are the negatives, exactly?
I think I see a theme where every move is the wrong move
The biggest negative would be not getting a sun tan down in Brazil like the other guys.
Okay I think I get it now:
1) Dempsey spends the mls offseason with fulham.
2) ?????
3) Cut.
Almost makes too much sense.
Fulham should’ve taken off Berbatov. What a lazy snob. Deuce looked 5X more active.
Dempsey off. Trying to be unbiased, but I think that’s a silly move by Fulham. he was one of their best players along with Berba…makes no sense to take off Deuce.
But in the end, as a USMNT fan, i was happy with how he played and he seems to be playing much better than when he was with the Sounders.
Because he’s not getting his butt whooped all the time. They actually call fouls in the Premier League.
Oh no. Sterling earns a PK from Howard but luckily no card.
And NO GOAL!!! Sterling misses!
Make that Sturridge with the miss.
Sterling dived in the first half and ref gave Barry a yellow card.
clint comes off for duff in the 71′
Súarez makes it 4-0. Night to forget for Timmy, as he misses Distin and Coleman.
And oviedo and deulofeu and lukaku. Rough spell for everton on the injury front.
Liverpool was missing Lucas, Allen, Enrique, Glen Johnson, Agger, Sakho
Danny Williams and reading winning again. Someone needs to find out how well he is playing there.
Liverpool are putting Everton to the sword. 38th minute. 3-0 in Reds favor
Great 30 yard flick of a goal by Sturridge after Suarez draws a kick, going down as if he was shot in the stomach while simultaneously being knifed in the hamstring while having his fruits electrocuted.
Holy crap I step out to use the bathroom and Liverpool scores two.
go back in the bathroom. i wanna see 5-0. sorry Timmy
Use the NBC Live Extra app next time 😉
I have the game up on my second monitor while I am “working.” I love NBC’s coverage although my employers might not.
3-0 now, RIP in peace Everton
Wow. Liverpool putting on a show. Poor Timmy.
Howard is a shocking keeper, come on Klinsi you gotta realize Guzan’s time is now (remember the
clean sheet at Azteca).
I said we might concede 15 goals in the 3 group games this summer and this is another reason why:
Howard.
Too slow to come out time and time again. How many World Cups is this guy going to be allowed to cost us? (2 already, 2006 & 2010 so far).
Remember Guzan giving up 2 in Panama, 3 against Belgium
Remember the 2 losses in the first 2 group games at the Confederations Cup with Howard in goal. Remember Guzan replacing slow cowpoke Howard and keeping a clean sheet in the win vs Italy in the 3rd group match.
The 3rd group match was Egypt not Italy, also lets just forget Howard had a clean sheet against Spain
Howard was also named goal keeper of the tournament
stop talking. we get it, you have an irrational opinion of Howard.
I believe that Keller played all three matches in 2006.
“”I believe that Keller played all three matches in 2006.””
Keller? Hilarious. I believe you are definitely, completely, 100% wrong.
I know that you are 100% completely wrong. Look it up.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006_FIFA_World_Cup_Group_E
I would check that again Keller did start all 3 matches in 2006,
http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/archive/germany2006/results/matches/match=97410010/report.html
You’re not helping your credibility here. Keller definitely started all three games in 2006.
Yeah, Keller was #1 after Friedel retired from international duty, otherwise Friedel would have started all 3 games in 2006.
Lol. This guy…
Keller started all 3 matches for the USMNT in the 2006 World Cup. Next time, before you say something stupid I would recommend doing a Google search or checking Wikipedia.
!
Yes shocking.
Going in to today howard had conceded more goals than all but 17 of the other premier league teams.
Translation: Come on! Let’s selectively remember everything Timmy did as bad and completely ignore the form from thebeirut half of the season which had him looking like easily one of the best keepers in the world.
Howard was benched by Everton for the FA Cup 4-0 win. I thought we’d seen the end of him but there he is out there again tonite, poorly positioned and way to slow to come out especially with the high line they were playing.
Look, it’s obvious you’re new to the game and have no idea what you’re talking about and I don’t want to go off on you because everyone has to be new at some point, but you should really refrain from making ignorant, negative comments about something you know nothing about bc it makes you sound like a tool. Howard wasn’t “benched.”. You don’t “bench” your starters in an easy FA cup match against lowly Stevenage, you REST them. FA Cup matches against League One sides are made for resting starters and giving action to bench players.
The form from the first half of the season.m my autocorrect is insane and strangely obsessed with Beirut. Dear autocorrect. Surely you must realize that whatever error I made originally in typing on this tiny screen, “thebeirut” is not an adequate correction for ANYTHING!
Ha.
Gettin us knocked out of 2 World Cups in a row along with Mikey can never be forgotten, sorry pal.
You are so clueless.
I honestly think he’s just messing with us at this point. Ignorance is too pitch perfect to be genuine.
Ugh, Poe’s Law again. Damn you interwebs!!
HAHAHAHA I absolutely could not believe your “15 goals allowed” post, and I absolutely can not believe this one either.
So freaking comical. Howard cost us at a World Cup he didn’t play in.
I LOVE YOU.
Gerrmany beat Saudi Arabia in WC 2002 group match 8-0, Ghana beat Dad’s Egypt team
in a WC playoff for 2014 6-1. Don’t think for a second that these teams ain’t capable of doing that
to Klinsi’s selection of over-the-hillers and also-rans.
Sturridge makes up for a near disastrous clearance moments ago with a goal on the break. 2-0 Liverpool.
Halftime for Swansea-Fulham.
Wow 3-0 ‘Pool as Howard comes out of goal to challenge a chipped ball to Sturridge.
Through ball to Dempsey, he takes it into the box but its easily saved for a corner.
Nice little move to get a shot off by Deuce but I think the defender got just a tiny piece of it to send it fluttering safely to the keeper.
Steve Gerrard, Gerrard,
He’ll pass the ball 40 yards
He’s big and he’s freaking’ hard,
Steve Gerrard, Gerrard
He’ll beat you in a bar
With a sucker punch so hard
If you don’t give the remote
This spoiled brat will steal your coat.
hey nowhere near as bad as John Terry
Ha! Yes, I think that will go on Stevie G’s tombstone.
Thunderous header by Gerrard off a corner to go 1 up on Everton
Lukaku out injured on the same play. Huge blow for Everton.
Huge loss. Minimal chance for a comeback now.
Dempsey is playing fairly well! He had a decent opportunity earlier, but it was blocked by a defender.
Great one-two with Berba by Dempsey for a shot on goal.
even if Jozy flops at Sunderland, there will still be options in say Italy or France for small clubs there. He’ll have to take a paycut though. Even Turkey is available. Maybe he gets picked up by 1 of the CL clubs in Turkey.
Even if? Sorry to break it to you but….
JOZY scores tomorrow
Dempsey scores today
Arsenal look terrible from the start. The Southampton goal was definitely coming. Odd, since they had an extra day off to prepare with the Friday FA Cup game.
So this game just got awesome…. fast.
Absence of Wilshere’s workmanlike ethic, and Ramsey’s creativity. “Only” Ozil and Cazorla are creators in the MF. Maybe Gnabry. Arteta and Flamini not there to create.
did Ream just go out injured?
Shows him coming off in 5th minute and scoring in 89th. What gives?
Jay Spearing scored, so i guess that is a misprint.
“…and lost Tim Ream after the first challenge of the match. Defender Ream was hurt in an accidental clash of heads with Austin only a few seconds after the opening whistle.”
Unbelievable miss by Fulham!
Great take-away by Dempsey! Almost made a chance out of it.
Great marking in the box by him. Stopped a chance at the back-post.
Better passing from Dempsey. Nothing really to say, though, about his performance.
Fulham is playing long ball after long ball.
Dempsey draws a foul — looked pretty vicious.
He couldn’t connect to a pass. That would have been a decent build-up, if it had continued.
Dempsey gives the ball away there.
Well that is really bad news for Altidore.
Poyet is signing a striker–Scocco.
That is okay. Just being on an EPL team will make him better.
Any chance he is going to play two up top?
but haven’t you heard? sunderland’s signing an attacker, so the only thing it could mean is it’s the end for jozy!! there are no other options!
never underestimate the eagerness of usmnt fans to pronounce the failure of one of our own.
But haven’t you heard? Sunderland a mids are crap! So of course we want more in ideal responsibility to put on crap midfielders to produce chances for Fletcher. Sorry. Jozy of course. Sunderland a beat player.
Never underestimate the blind faithfulness of a USMNT homer to ignore the obvious dispositions at hand
*individual
No way they can afford to with that midfield.
Scocco is more of an attacking midfielder/winger and he wasn’t playing that well at Internacional.
He could provide Jozy with some of that service he needs. Or he or Borini could now replace Jozy. Or Jozy could react to the threat by playing better. Or Scocco could fail to adapt to the EPL.
That happens sometimes.
Come on you Reds!
Dempsey, Gooch, Brek, Williams, Ream all in starting 11
Will Packwood starting for Birmingham?
yessir.
and holmes and whitbread on bench for their clubs.
The Mexico game is tomorrow, isn’t it?
That’s what everyone thought.
Everton or Liverpool? Liverpool probably wins at home.
I expect a lot of goals, and cards.